The present invention relates to a process for producing a fluorine-containing diol, which is a compound useful as a raw material for monomers adapted to the next generation photoresists.
It is known that esters, which are formed by the bonding of fluorine-containing diols and acrylic acid derivatives (including acrylic acid and methacrylic acid), have bright prospects as monomer raw materials of the next generation resist materials and that resists containing such esters as their constituent element are superior in light transmission and surface adhesion (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,784,312 corresponding to Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication 2003-040840).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,071 discloses a process for synthesizing α-[(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-3,3,3-trifluoro-2-trifluoromethyl)propyl]benzyl alcohol by the steps of (a) heating hexafluoroacetone and propiophenone at 160° C.; and (b) reducing the product of the step (a) by aluminum isopropoxide using isopropanol as a solvent.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. U.S. 2005/0215836 A1 discloses a process for producing a fluorine-containing 2,4-diol by reducing a hydroxy ketone by hydrogen in the presence of a ruthenium catalyst.